2 passengers talking ‘suspiciously’ removed from plane

[HipChick]

(edited for copyright purposes proud patriot Moderator Democratic Underground)

so now we are going to get every piece of non-news as long as it relates to flying..



http://www.abc15.com/content/news/phoenixmetro/central/story/TSA-2-passengers-talking-suspiciously-removed/42w5KMCzcE-2mf6aiRePow.cspx

Officials say two passengers who were removed from a Phoenix-bound flight Saturday after others aboard the plane noticed "suspicious" activity were not doing anything wrong.

Suzanne Trevino, a spokesperson with Transportation Security Administration (TSA), said US Airways Flight 192 was inbound from the Orlando, Florida when a passenger reported seeing two other passengers talking "suspiciously."

FBI spokesperson Manuel Johnson said a female passenger overheard the two men, described by officials as Middle Eastern, speaking loudly in a foreign language and reported them to airline staff.

According to Johnson, the two men were talking about being late for their flight and not being able to shop at the airport before boarding their flight to Phoenix.

The men were reportedly watching the movie "The Kingdom" on a portable DVD player while talking, and the female passenger, who was sitting near the men, thought this was suspicious and reported them to flight personnel.

(snip)

[Mari333]

1. from the article

'"I think speaking a foreign language should not be a concern," said Shqeirat. "We don't want to overreact." '


YA THINK??!!

[TexasObserver]

2. Two men watching "The Kingdom" was likely the key factor.

It's a film placed in Saudi Arabia, and it deals with security issues for American workers and their families there, terror, and FBI investigations of terror there.

It contains a large amount of violence.

Probably not the best film to watch on an airplane right now.

[HipChick]

4. I should be able to watch what I want to on my portable DVD though..

[TexasObserver]

10. What one can do and what one should do are often very different.

The two men were members of a category of passenger considered suspect right now, because they are Mideastern, they're talking in the native language, and they're engaging in behaviors that seem odd. If they looked like they were farm boys from Iowa, there would not have been a problem, because no one would have thought anything about it.

During times of heightened fear over security, some activities that might look benign at another time can appear threatening.

As for your desire to watch what you want on your portable DVD, that's entirely up the airlines you're flying on. You have no right to watch whatever you please unless they say you do.

[ret5hd]

14. What should women wear when walking alone?

[TexasObserver]

17. Non Sequitur.

If you can get back to the conversation in this thread, instead of the one going on in your head, let me know.

[ret5hd]

18. LOL. It's about as sequitor as can be, and you know it.

[TexasObserver]

20. No, it isn't. It's just an asinine comment, untethered to this thread.

[HipChick]

19. When the threat comes from a white looking muslim, who will they profile then?

[TexasObserver]

21. You don't have to like it to know it exists.

When there is a terror incident and the perp is Islamic, there will be repercussions in air travel for any similarly situated persons traveling into the USA.

[HipChick]

23. and your answer for those who looked like Tim McVeigh?

[TexasObserver]

24. We're not talking about Tim McVeigh. We're talking about two Mideastern guys.

We're not talking about Tim McVeigh. We're talking about two Mideastern guys on a plane a few days after a bomber tried to kill 300 people. They drew negative attention to themselves, they spoke in their native language and loudly so, and they failed to follow instructions regarding behaviors in the plane.

If you don't think they should be observed and possibly removed from the plane, why don't you write DHS and tell them? Share with them your magnificent insights.

[HipChick]

33. Considering this bomber was nigerian..

:crazy:

[TexasObserver]

36. That he is Muslim is undisputed. That he is radicalized is reported.

Thankfully, you're not in charge of anything, so we don't have to rely upon your thinking to protect passengers in America.

Their conduct was suspicious, and they should have been removed.

[HipChick]

40. ..and that shows how limited your thinking is..

[TexasObserver]

69. No, it shows that I'm not an ignorant, naive, ideologue.

There is no single, foolproof manner in which to regulate the airways. They react to situations.

If the two men had been Sikhs or Finns behaving similarly, they would likely have been taken off the plane. That they were Mideastern made it an easy decision.

As I said, thankfully you're never in a position to make such decisions.

[HipChick]

86. Must be nice for you to be psychic..

lmao! you must not travel much..

[TexasObserver]

87. Thankfully, no one depends on you for their security.

[JoeyT]

91. Yeah!

Stupid minorities, always bitching about their "rights".
What the hell do they think this is, a free country?

Strangely enough, you're using the exact logic bad cops use when they arrest people for the crime of Driving While Black.
Almost to the very word.

So what, one kind of racial profiling is good, but another kind is bad?

[OttavaKarhu]

42. You really need to jettison those blinders.

Damn--"He was Nigerian"? What does that mean?

The man was a self professed jihadist. With his balls stuffed in explosive. Which he tried to set off, seated over the fuel tanks. And his dad--an uber rich banker--was concerned enough about his jihadist religious beliefs to have warned a wide range of authorities about his son's behavior.

So "he was Nigerian" means WHAT exactly? The knee-jerk racism of "black therefore innocent"? Or the ignorance of "African therefore not jihadist"?

[HipChick]

49. you're really projecting a lot in there...my point is how do you profile

a moving target?..always adapting changing based upon US knee-jerk changes..
I fly weekly, my eye is not necessarily on someone being loud and drawing attention to themselves..that's the last thing a terrorist aboard a flight will be doing

[The Doctor.]

78. So people are instructed not to be Arabic when flying?

Just what 'instruction' did they 'fail to follow'?

[TexasObserver]

85. You must not have read the article.

I'm not going to repeat the reasons their conduct was unusual. You've either chosen not to read it or not to pay attention to it.

[The Doctor.]

89. Please do explain what about their conduct was 'unusual'.

People speak in foreign languages all the time on planes.

They watch movies.

And yes, lots and lots of people get out of their seats when the 'please remain seated' sign is lit.


I found nothing specific in the article that would get a white German detained and questioned, so what this boils down to is they were behaving somehow 'Arabic'.

Caution; Good.

Paranoia; Bad.

[TexasObserver]

90. I've discussed it at length in this thread. Read it in my posts.

[The Doctor.]

95. I read your exchange, All I saw was the recurring 'they got what they asked for' theme.

Meanwhile, your tactic of claiming to have 'already discussed/proven/provided excerpts of' is a very well-worn dodge for those with nothing to stand on.

I don't fall for it like some and run around on a wild goose-chase looking for the unobtainable.

You made a claim that they did something wrong, if you can or have posted a reason, then it should take you a few seconds to re-post it. It is not my job to back up your claim.

As it stands, I doubt very much you've done any such thing.

[TexasObserver]

97. Call a waaaaahmbulance.

Your petulance doesn't move me. Cry, suck your thumb, beg, cajole, scream, fuss - doesn't matter to me. You like to nag, and you think nagging will get you somewhere. Maybe your mama rewarded your petulance, but I'm not your mama.

[The Doctor.]

99. I think you could use a dictionary;

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/petulant

I've made the simple observation; you have made a claim that you cannot support.

There is nothing 'petulant' about that... or any of my posts here for that matter.

It is obvious I was correct here; "Your tactic of claiming to have 'already discussed/proven/provided excerpts of' is a very well-worn dodge for those with nothing to stand on.""

A well-worn dodge, indeed. For here we stand with you obviously becoming irritated at being unable to stop me from pointing out that you've failed to support your assertion that they 'failed to follow instructions'.

Most people, when caught in the position you are, decide to merely 're-state' their position. Unfortunately, you can't do that, can you?

[Bozita]

50. My Arab-American pal married a blue-eyed blonde. They had two kids.

An alcohol/drug combo ended the marriage while the sons were still small.

This was in the late '80s. He raised them from that point pretty much by himself.

Those sons are now adults. Fair-skinned, blue-eyed young Muslim men.

Profiling won't work.

[HipChick]

52. Exactly...thank you

that's my point..

[RumJungle]

98. Useless point.

Just because 0.003% of Muslims are blue eyed and blonde haired doesn't mean you forget about the fact that 98% of jihadists are arab muslims. Sad fact but true whether you like it or not..

[timeforpeace]

25. If everyone else is required to be quiet, they should be also. Not a racial thing at all.

[seabeyond]

32. we are required to be "quiet" too. wtf. is this kindergarten. for real. quiet

do you have to stand in the corner if you talk

lmao

[nadinbrzezinski]

41. Yes, last hour of all inbound international flights

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7340413

[seabeyond]

60. did i miss it. i read not aloud to stand up or use bathroom. that doesnt entail quiet. nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

66. Yes it does, depending on the crew

they kept patrolling up and down and made KIDS put away their electronic toys and even stuffed toys.

My ancient dog eared paper book was ok, but my IPOD or somebody else's Kindle was not.

[seabeyond]

68. ok, but quiet means to me no talking. i take it they are not making a rule where people have to be

quiet?

i know you have to put the electronical stuff away. but i have never heard that people were not allowed to talk.

[nadinbrzezinski]

71. What part of LAST HOUR OF FLIGHT they are

requiring people to stay in seats, nothing on laps, and no bathrooms are you missing?

This is not SOP.

Usually you turn your electronics off fifteen minutes before touchdown

And this is ONLY on international flights inbound to the US.

(Of course they are relaxing this already since it is PAINFUL and people are already bitching bout it. Why it is over reaction.

Oh and NOTHING on laps, that includes blankets from the air line or pillows.

Yes, they are treating passengers like oh children.

Now perhaps you and I have different definitions of what is over reaction... oh and by the way, so you cannot do this for an hour over US Territory... okay. what about getting them devices ready two hours before touchdown instead of final approach?

[seabeyond]

74. fine. but that is not saying NO TALKING. BE QUIET. what part of be quiet, do you not get.

they are not telling people to be quiet. they are telling people to do a lot of stupid things. but they are NOT saying be quiet.

geeez

btw... i am on your side. i think it is all bullshit. i use to fly a lot. i dont anymore. i refuse. i wont give my money to be treated like a prisoner with no rights.

especially stupid rules. i cannot follow stupid rules for anything. something inside me MAKES me break them, and challenge them. i am on your side on this

i was merely asking poster if we now have a rule to be QUIET. and i have no proof there is a rule a person cannot talk. that would be the height of absurd. wouldnt surprise me. wouldnt surprise me posters supporting it to FEEL safe.

[nadinbrzezinski]

79. We have a different definition

this is very close, if not be quiet, especially for children under a certain age.

[HipChick]

84. I don't think this is new...I was on a flight, where they ejected both the mother

and children...1 child was screaming O/T and the mother could not control it.the other children in turn would not stay in their seats...it was difficult to hear anything the attendants were saying, so halfway taxing out, the plane taxied back to the gate, and the mother and children were taken off..

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[seabeyond]

61. eeew. you rw? much. lol. nt

[Truth2Tell]

81. How can you tell in advance

whom to deny civil liberties from? Please elaborate...

[JoeyT]

92. Easy.

If their skin is darker than a white person's, but lighter than an African American's, then they don't have any civil liberties.
I've personally had a woman ask me if I was a "tarrist" on a flight and I was almost taken off the plane over it, (Because of course the idiot didn't believe me: I answered "Are you a Christian?" with "No.".) and I'm only half American Indian and speak in the deepest Southern accent you've ever heard. Plus I had an "A" sticker on my laptop. Apparently the morons thought the bigass red A stood for "Allah" instead of "Atheist". You know, because the "Evolve" fish right next to it wasn't a clue. Radical Jihadists being such fans of evolution and all. So you don't even have to be all that swarthy or even the wrong religion before your civil liberties should be stripped away, it seems.
You just have to fit what what the stupidest most cowardly person on that plane right that moment *thinks* a terrorist looks like.

And this is exactly the kind of empowerment of stupidity some of you are advocating.

[nadinbrzezinski]

39. I have been careful on WHAT I bring aboard a plane for

'hem YEARS.

Hell the shock doctrine will NOT come aboard either.

Yes one thing is what you should be able to do, quite another what will happen if you do.

I hate flying, and not the actual act of flying, but the circus that goes around it.

Here my experience yesterday

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x7340413

And no, nobody was taken off a plane either... Suffice it to day that 1984 is not a book that I'd bring up on a plane either.

[left coaster]

3. Perhaps that woman should be detained and questioned..

..for flying while being ignorant, or racist, or both..

[hlthe2b]

7. Remember the scene from the movie "Airplane" where they all

lined up totake a turn at "smacking" some sense into the panicky passenger? I don't condone violence, of course, but must admit that satirical scene did come to mind...:evilgrin:

[left coaster]

13. lol!

Exactly what came to my mind! :)

[timeforpeace]

26. If only everyone spoke jive, this wouldn't have happened.

[hlthe2b]

45. re:

;)

[OttavaKarhu]

43. Jihadist Islamicism is a religion, not a race. Grow a frakkin clue.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

44. Islamophobia is bigotry, just like racism.

Turn off Battlestar Galactica re-runs.

[timeforpeace]

51. How do you define Islamophobia? First time I've seen the word.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

53. There's a good example in the OP's story.

There's no significant difference between this and white people being uncomfortable sitting next to black people on a bus back in the fifties.

[laughingliberal]

58. ++1 nt

[laughingliberal]

57. +1 nt

[MadHound]

5. Ah yes, and flying is going to become even more of a nightmare

I resolved not to fly after 911, except overseas and for emergencies, due to all the TSA madness. Now it seems as though that's going to ramp up even more. Perhaps I simply won't fly at all. Pay big bucks for small cramped seats, no amenities, and oh boy, bonus hassle at the airport.

[rfranklin]

9. But it takes five hours coast-to-coast versus days in a car...

And I don't think we have a high speed train as of yet.

[MadHound]

12. I'd rather drive.

First of all, I'm rather loathe to suffer the indignities inflicted upon myself that the TSA now cooks up. Not only are they outrageous, but apparently, despite all of the searching, sniffing and feeling people up, TSA isn't worth the goddamn money we spend on them (of course what do you expect when your "security" personnel are nothing more than marginally educated goons that you hired off the street). And for some reason or another, my size, my demeanor, what have you, I seem to attract that extra special attention from security folks wherever I go.

Then there are the prices that you pay for flying these days. I was actually thinking about flying down to Texas for one of the bowl games this upcoming holiday, but I simply can't afford it, not at $1,100 for a round trip. Oh, and then there are the issues of cramped seating, I'm 6'5", no amenities unless you pay outrageous fees for them, constant delays, idiot passengers, etc. etc. No thanks. Hell, according to a couple of Russian friends of mine, our airline infrastructure is worse than that in the bad old days of the USSR.

Besides, driving there you get to meet new people, see new scenery, enjoy new experiences. I think that the trade off in time is worth it. But hey, if you want to pay outrageous money in order to get poked, prodded, scanned, humiliated all to sit in a cramped seat on a aluminum can and save time, by all means, go for it. Me, I'll continue to live by that old maxim that half the journey is getting there.

[seabeyond]

31. we drove texas to cape cod this summer. texas to SF this coming spring

we had to much fun driving to cape cod. didnt rush it. got to spend lots of GOOD time with family. saw lots. it was a blast.

so driving to sf in a couple months and really looking forward to it. gonna go up to wy and across and then come down on hwy 1.

i just need the freedom. cannot be contained, following silly ass rules and lowering eyes. not my thing.

[OttavaKarhu]

37. Good job.

I haven't flown since January 2002. No way I'm going to submit to unreasonable search and seizure/surrender my civil liberties for some set of "privileges."

You got it exactly correct in my view: it's the journey, not the destination. And a lot of the journeys people make by planes could easily be made for all intents and purposes--morally, emotionally, psychologically--right in their communities.

But we have too many people still welded to "go forth and multiply" ever to question their travel and breeding.

[OttavaKarhu]

35. Stay home. Or take the time to travel.

Anyone who flies is simply encouraging destruction of the Bill of Rights, as well as the atmosphere--all for personal mobility privilege.

[Selatius]

54. So? I'd rather take a road trip and visit places instead of flying over it. nt

[rug]

6. The TSA should require that only English be spoken on flights.

[hlthe2b]

15. Good Heavens...

:eyes:

[SidDithers]

8. Flying while Abdul...

going to become more and more common.

Paranoia at it's worst.

Sid

[OttavaKarhu]

38. Yeah. Jihadist Islamists are just a figment of our imagination. Right. n/t

[SidDithers]

67. You're defeding this action?...

Removing 2 passengers from a plane, because they're speaking a foreign language, and watching "The Kingdom"?

Some bigot from Tempe doesn't like "the different", and that's OK with you?

Sid

[Orsino]

100. If these foreigners persist in speaking UnAmerican, they ought to be profiled.

Deliberately being born outside the borders of the USA? That's extremely suspicious. :eyes:

[DavidDvorkin]

11. "Home of the brave"

The braggadocio of that line in the song always annoyed me. Nowadays it's just laughable.

[Withywindle]

77. +1

What a nation of bed-wetters we've become. Encouraged to be so by the right wing of course.

If we need a role model for this kind of thing, just look at our old imperial motherland. Look how London reacted to the 2005 bombings.

"Ho hum. We survived being bombed by the Nazis. THEY were talented, professional scumbags worth being afraid of, but we still beat 'em. You jihadists, sir, are pathetic and small-time. We worry more about the IRA than you, and the IRA were a bunch of wankers too. Now STFU. Our tea is getting cold, and you're tedious."

[DavidDvorkin]

80. Yes, indeed.

Makes me want a cuppa.

[Echo In Light]

16. Seeding the public mind accordingly with this bullshit quote:

"I've been pulled out and checked, I have no problem with it. I think it's better to be safe than sorry."

[Raineyb]

22. They always find a moron to say that.

And usually it's a white person on the TV. How magnanimous of the twit to say that when he or she knows damn well that the odds are THEY will not be the person pulled out for a search.

[seabeyond]

30. or lots of posters on du. nt

[timeforpeace]

27. Sounds like most posting here wouldn't have been a Jasper, but would have cowered so as not to

offend the pants bomber, right?

[seabeyond]

29. ya right... cause the pant dude gave himself away by watching a movie.... nt

[Truth2Tell]

83. You are confusing paranoia with courage. nt

[seabeyond]

28. many du'ers would give a big thumbs up, as long as they FEEL safer. doesnt have to be reality

they just have to have the sense of being safer, and fuck what a person should have the right to do. that just simply does not matter anymore as long as we feel safer.

[IndianaGreen]

48. There was an upswell of fascism in DU shortly after 9-11

People were demanding the bombing of any country, as long as it satisfied their thirst for revenge. Quite a few even mentioned 9-11 as their reason for supporting the invasion of Iraq. They are all suffering from selective memory today.

[seabeyond]

62. i am just surprised all to shit all the people willing to give up any and all rights... for illusion

of safety.

blows. my. mind.

[IndianaGreen]

46. I remember when some Orthodox rabbis were kicked out of a plane for speaking in a foreign language

What can you expect from a country that thinks that Sikhs are Arabs?

[nadinbrzezinski]

47. +++11111

So correct!

[jmm]

56. Or a country where a Greek priest asking for directions is

mistaken for a genital grabbing terrorist screaming "Allahu Akbar."


http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/crime/article1050707.ece

TAMPA — Marine reservist Jasen Bruce was getting clothes out of the trunk of his car Monday evening when a bearded man in a robe approached him.

That man, a Greek Orthodox priest named Father Alexios Marakis, speaks little English and was lost, police said. He wanted directions.

What the priest got instead, police say, was a tire iron to the head. Then he was chased for three blocks and pinned to the ground — as the Marine kept a 911 operator on the phone, saying he had captured a terrorist.
.....
An exterior surveillance video of Tuesday's chase captured the two men in motion, said Tampa Police Department spokeswoman Laura McElroy:

"You see a very short, small man running, and an enormous, large muscular man chasing after him."
.....

[laughingliberal]

64. "A country that thinks Sikhs are Arabs" Too true!

We have a Sikh community in this part of the state and they always have a float in the annual parade celebrating out statehood. I was waving to them at the parade in 2002 and a man standing next to me says, "I guess you love 'those people,' you think they're wonderful." I looked him right in the eye and said, "I really don't believe it's any of your business what I think about anything." I'm a tad formidable when I'm direct. He hurried away with a fast, "sorry."

[IndianaGreen]

65. Sadly, a Sikh store clerk was murdered on 9-11

by a Freeper thinking that he was an Arab. The murderer was convicted and sentence to death, but he remained defiant saying he didn't regret anything.

I don't remember the town or the state where this happened, but it made national news and it was posted in DU.

[laughingliberal]

70. Mesa, AZ. Sept 15, 2001

The American dream is a somewhat nebulous idea, but for many people, its appeal is concrete.

Typically, it involves making your own way, seeking your fortune without the hindrance of government, religion or any other institution that can prevent you from creating the life you want. It holds a special attraction for immigrants seeking a better life, and the Sodhi family of Gilbert was no different.

For Rana Singh Sodhi, the dream remains alive, despite enduring a nightmare. His brother, Balbir Singh Sodhi, was gunned down in Mesa on Sept. 15, 2001 - the nation's first post-9/11 victim of a hate crime. (Balbir Sodhi wore a long beard and turban as prescribed by his Sikh faith; his killer apparently mistook him as being from the Middle East.) Another brother was murdered in San Francisco less than a year later. Friends have been assaulted because of how they look; one man's attackers yelled, "Go back to where you came from!" as they shot him.

http://www.azcentral.com/ent/tv/articles/2008/05/18/20080518dream0518.html

Horrible!

[IndianaGreen]

73. Thank you for finding that

It was horrible what happened, and how some people saw nothing wrong with that crime.

[Fuzz]

55. Paranoia will destroy ya

[gopwacker_455]

59. This kind of paranoia is really grating

[jmm]

63. How to Spot a Terrorist:

What does a typical Middle Eastern Male Look Like?

[HipChick]

88. LOL!

[Guilded Lilly]

72. Witch Hunts

change the location, change the paranoia.
it is still witch hunt mentality

[phasma ex machina]

75. Stupid M$M stuck in a groove again...

[davidpdx]

76. Wow, gross overreaction

This happened after 9/11 as well.

[rateyes]

82. Meanwhile, while everyone's attention was on the two middle easterners...

...what was going on behind them that no one saw?

[The Backlash Cometh]

93. I'm bracing myself. It's obvious that we're going back to the days

where I get randomly picked to be searched before EVERY F#$%ING flight.

[suffragette]

94. Reminds me of the guy who was arrested for listening to The Clash

when he was on his way to a British airport. And what that man had to say then rings true today.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/4879918.stm

Harraj Mann, 23, asked a taxi driver to play The Clash's London Calling through the vehicle's stereo.
But the cabbie rang police after he heard the song which includes the line: "War is declared and battle come down". Police said Mr Mann, from Hartlepool, was released without charge after his arrest on board a Bmi plane at Durham Tees Valley Airport.
Mr Mann, a mobile phone salesman of Indian origin, missed his flight to Heathrow last Thursday because of the security check and took a taxi back to Hartlepool. He said he was questioned under the Terrorism Act.
He told BBC Radio Five Live: "I said to staff you've taken me off my flight due to my taste in music, in a more colourful way.
"I mean where does it stop? What if I was wearing a Che Guevara t-shirt, what if I was wearing odd socks, you know.
"I mean obviously the political climate these days is like walking on egg shells, but I mean there's caution and then there's taking it to the point where it's absurd and ludicrous."

More from that incident that also strikes a similar note to this new one:

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060508/dambrosio

It really did feel like "London Calling" when I opened my e-mail April 5 to find an inbox clogged with a score of messages titled: "Man Held as Terrorism Suspect Over Punk Song." This was not spam but a news item from Reuters reporting that Harraj Mann had been detained for questioning by British anti-terrorism detectives after they received a phone call from a taxi driver who had taken Mann to the Durham Tees Valley Airport. The driver became alarmed after hearing Mann, a mobile phone salesman of Indian descent, sing along to the Clash's "London Calling." The lyric that triggered the cabbie's concern: "Now war is declared--and battle come down...a meltdown expected."

Released after questioning by British authorities, Mann fumed, "There's caution and then there's taking it to the point where it's absurd and ludicrous." Ludicrous indeed, and a chilling reminder that once again fear combined with the perversion of law has trumped rationality (not to mention democracy or basic civil liberties).

"London Calling" is a song about terrorism, but not the kind we have become so familiar with after 9/11. Written in 1979 by the late Joe Strummer, it describes the looming threat of nuclear catastrophe, environmental disaster, starvation and war. The threat or terror of nuclear destruction was something that deeply concerned Strummer because it seemed to him that some world leaders treated it as nothing more than a game. "You had Ronald Reagan campaigning on building up nuclear arms.... He said the West is losing the arms race to Russia, the 'evil empire'.... It was like toys to them or a movie where nothing bad would really happen," Strummer told me when I interviewed him in 2002. Sound familiar?

Today's reactionary political climate, built on a merciless patriotism that relies on historical ignorance, creates an atmosphere that cares little for the issues "London Calling" raises. Strummer understood the struggle to be heard over the politically hostile din emanating from a society that wraps itself in the flag of morality and virtue. "In the late 1970s, the National Front was spreading across England," Strummer said. "They were a terrorist group if there ever was one, but bands like the Clash were deemed dangerous, evil even, by Thatcher and the like."

[indepat]

96. Enough to make one say "Jesus H. Christ" were it not

blasphemous! :P

[Orsino]

101. And suspiciously...Middle-Eastern.

I'm going to have to ask to see your ID.